Cong dares Majithia for open debate on state of industries

Taking a dig over remarks of cabinet minister Bikramjit Singh Majithia over concern shown by Punjab Pardesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa over the condition of industries in the state, Congress spokesperson Sukhpal Khaira on Monday dared Majithia and deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal to have open and live debate on the issue.

Taking a dig over remarks of cabinet minister Bikramjit Singh Majithia over concern shown by Punjab Pardesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa over the condition of industries in the state, Congress spokesperson Sukhpal Khaira on Monday dared Majithia and deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal to have open and live debate on the issue.

"Inform us the place and schedule of debate, we would be there to prove the points on which PPCC president Partap Singh Bajwa had showed his concern over industries in the state," Khaira said while talking to HT here on Monday.

On the denial by two industrial houses regarding migrating out of state, Khaira said: "We all know the working style of Junior Badal and Bikramjit Singh Majithia. There must be something fishy behind the curtains. Anyhow, by getting 'certificate' from owners of two industrial houses state government cannot escape from its failure to reprieve the declining industry in Punjab."

"When PPCC president stated that industry had been migrating from state, he was referring to small scale and medium-scale industries of the state. Everyone is sick of the apathetic attitude of the state government towards industries of the state," he said adding that, "we are daily receiving alerts and messages from different industrial houses of the state regarding their plight and Congress will not stay behind in raising these issues at any platform."

Industries from Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Batala, Mandi Gobindgarh, Gorayan, Mohali and other industrial hubs of the state had become sick and slowly the owners of the units had left with no other option to close or migrated to other state, Khaira added.

"The improper and costly power supply to industrial units, the failure of refunding VAT, e-trip, red-tapism, increased labour cost, non-availability of raw-material, high-vat structure, no tax-relief packages are some of the problems being faced by every industrial unit of the state. In contrast, the other states are alluring industrial owners to establish industries in their state and this has been leading to migration of industries," Khaira added.

"What the industrial houses had said about the ruling collision in their statements does not represent true picture of the industries in the state. Congress party had always talked about ground realities and we are always ready to prove the facts through open debate," Khaira said.